So... yay! All of my exams are done now! Now I have a free week to do whatever! lol.
In any case, here's the next chapter! We're starting the journey to the other worlds, YAY! Note, I took some of the dialogue from the actual movie of The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, or at least... the beginning, considering that little bit is included in here. :D Enjoy!
PLEASE R&R!
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts (c) Tetsuya Nomura
Disney (aka, the Lion King 2: Simba's Pride) (c) Disney
Claimer: everything else (c) me
Chapter Five: Hearts of the Pride Lands
A lioness carefully stalked through the grassy field, quietly padding her paws on the ground. Hearing movement, her ear twitched before she pounced.
"AHHHHH!" a meerkat-warthog duo screamed before splitting apart.
The lioness seemed to recognize them and stopped. "Timon! Pumbaa! What are you both doing here?!" she snapped.
"Well, we were about to be eaten, thank you very much!" Timon snapped back hastily. "You really have to be careful where you pounce, Kiara. Sheesh!"
She narrowed her yellow eyes and glared at them. "Did my father send you?" she guessed, her voice lowering in anger.
"Um… yes," Pumbaa answered honestly before Timon elbowed him, "Uh- I-I mean no! No he didn't!"
"Darn it," she hissed, turning away. "He promised he wouldn't do this to me! I'm not 'Daddy's-Little-Girl' anymore! I can take care of myself, and I'm going to prove it to him!"
Hurriedly speeding away so that Timon and Pumbaa could not catch up with her, she travelled further away from home for her first hunt, determined to prove to her father that she could take care of herself.
- - - - -
"So… where are we heading?" Chip the Chipmunk inquired.
"We've gotta go somewhere," Dale agreed.
Riku was sitting worriedly next to Yuki as he held her hand in his, watching as the pulsing purple light of her crystal begin to brighten back into a white light. He had laid her on a pull-out bed from the wall moments after they entered the Gummi Ship. A powerful breath entered her lungs as her eyes fluttered open within seconds.
"Yuki," he said quietly.
"W-Where am I?" she mumbled, sitting up with a hand on her forehead.
Sora ran over to them with a huge grin on his face. "Hey Yuki, you're finally awake. For a second there we were really worried about you," he greeted.
"Sorry about that," she apologized, looking into Riku's worried aqua eyes. "I'm really sorry for making you worry about me."
"As long as you're alright," he retorted, helping her onto her feet.
"Where are we off to?" Donald inquired.
Yuki walked over to the controls, typed quickly on the keyboard, and suddenly a picture screen came up, showing the concerned faces of Goofy, Queen Minnie, Daisy, Roxas, Kairi and Naminé.
"Daisy!" Donald gasped, happy to see the face of his beloved.
She looked just as surprised. "Donald!" she exclaimed happily.
"Guys, this isn't a social call, you know," Dale commented.
Yuki ignored them. "Hey guys, what's the status of Disney Castle?" she asked, her face tightened in concern.
"We've eliminated the Heartless threat here, but there wasn't any sign on Nobodies or Organization XIII," Roxas answered.
"How did you guys do at Radiant Garden, a-hyuck?" Goofy implored.
"Even more Heartless had turned up after we defeated a wave of them," Sora explained. "Nobodies have been showing up there too."
Riku walked over so that he could be seen on the others' holographic screen. "And we've managed to contain one of the Organization XIII members," he added.
"We have?" Donald inquired.
Yuki dipped her head once in response. "Member No. 12, Larxene. Riku and I encountered her after we defeated our quadrant. Using magic, I've contained her in a set of crystal tombs. She's not dead nor disappearing, but placed in a deep sleep so she won't be bothering us," she explained.
"You can do that?!" Naminé exclaimed.
The 16-year-old nodded. "Queen Minnie, have you received any word from the King?" she asked.
The mouse queen shook her head. "I'm awfully worried," she sighed.
"We'll let you know if we hear from him," Riku assured.
"Sora, are you okay?" Kairi inquired worriedly.
He grinned. "Yeah, I'm fine. You take care of yourself too, Kairi," he replied. "We'll be heading to the Pride Lands next. You guys head to the Land of Dragons, and be careful, Organization XIII members may be there. Oh, say hi to Mulan and the others for Donald and me."
"Got it," Goofy determined. "Keep in touch."
"And be careful!" Queen Minnie added.
Yuki looked specifically at Roxas. "Roxas, the time to use those crystals I gave you may be at hand sooner than you think. Keep on your toes," she warned.
The blonde replied with an understanding nod.
As the transmission ended, Chip and Dale cheered, "To the Pride Lands it is, then!"
- - - - -
When Sora, Riku, Yuki and Donald were teleported down from their Gummi Ship onto the Pride Lands ruled by King Simba and Queen Nala, they were transformed into animals. Sora had transformed into a small cub, Riku and Yuki into a pair of slightly elder teenage lions, and Donald into a bird.
"Hmm… is this new to you?" Riku inquired, noticing Sora and Donald's calmness and ability to adapt so easily to the new forms.
"Nope," Sora replied. "It's happened to us before. It really is amazing how fast we can run in this form."
Yuki swished her tail, her soft velvet black-coloured coat gleaming in the sunlight as she padded around, adjusting to her new form. Her crystal heart necklace dangled around her neck, pulsing with soft rosy light.
"I could get used to this," she murmured, stretching out her paws.
Riku padded over to her, his light pink fur contrasting his silver semi-mane. Purring, he brushed against her, touching noses with her.
"Where do you think Simba is, Sora?" Donald inquired.
"I don't know," the cub replied. "Let's go check out Pride Rock. Maybe he's there."
"Lead the way," Yuki encouraged.
Hurrying to the huge rock formation, Sora and Donald called out for their friends.
"Simba, Nala, are you here?" Sora called.
"Come on out if you're here!" Donald added.
Both the lion and lioness sped out of their cave, jumping down to them. Zazu, the king's hornbill major-domo, flew out after them to greet their friends.
"Sora! Donald! It's so good to see you both again!" Simba greeted.
"Are these your friends?" Nala inquired, glancing at Riku and Yuki.
Zazu hovered around the pair, inspecting them. "Looks like a peculiar pair, don't you think, your Majesty?"
"I'm Riku," the silver-haired teenage lion greeted, ignoring the tiny bird, "and this is Yuki, my um… mate, would it be?"
Desperation showed in Simba's eyes. "Guys, I need your help. My daughter, Kiara, has gone missing. We need to find her," he pleaded.
Yuki's ears pricked as her magically-heightened senses caught the sound of destruction. Turning, she began to run, her paws hitting the ground lightly as she sped across the land.
"Yuki!" Riku called after her as he and the others ran after her.
Simba, Nala and Riku easily caught up to her and ran alongside her. Sora and Donald struggled to keep up with them with shorter legs and wings.
"What is it?" Simba asked. "Did you catch her scent?"
The lioness glanced up towards the sky. "Smoke," she replied bluntly. "Let's hurry."
- - - - - -
As they neared the blazing inferno, they caught sight of a dark-furred young lion and a pale lioness seemingly talking together. They seemed just to be about a little older than Riku and Yuki themselves.
"Kiara!" Simba gasped, and they all hurried closer, Simba pouncing in front of the strange male and roaring ferociously.
"Kiara, you're alright!" Nala exclaimed happily, running over to nuzzle her daughter's cheek.
She brushed back against her mother for a moment before hissing at Simba. "Father, how could you break your promise?"
"It's a good thing I did," he retorted, his gaze not leaving the suspicious lion. "I almost lost you. No more hunts for you, not ever."
"But I was doing just fine!" Kiara protested, "Even before Kovu-"
"Kovu!" Simba hissed, growling as he now recognized the banished outsider.
Both Kovu and Simba began growling threateningly at each other before Yuki and Riku leapt in between them.
"Stop it, both of you!" Sora shouted.
Suddenly, the wise mandrill Rafiki called out from behind Simba, "Hey, you! How dare you save the king's daughter!" he called in false anger with a smile.
"You saved her?" Simba said in wonder. "Why?"
Kovu looked at him. "I wish to join your pride."
"No!" he roared immediately, "You were banished with the other outsiders."
"I've left the outsiders," the young lion reasoned. "I'm a rogue. Judge me now, for who I am. Or am I to blame for a crime I didn't commit."
"Are we talking about Scar here?" Sora inquired in confusion.
"Quiet down, Sora," Donald told him.
Yuki glanced at Simba. "Simba…" she said quietly, "I don't know about you, but I see little true darkness within him. I believe he can be mostly trusted. I'm sure he'll be good." She smiled warmly at Kovu, surprising him at her easiness.
"But he's an outsider!" the king hissed.
"Yeah, but he doesn't seem bad," Sora argued.
Riku and Yuki suddenly exchanged wary glances as they sensed danger approaching.
"Something's wrong here," Riku commented, "and I don't mean this Kovu guy either. Something's coming."
Yuki glanced up at the smoke-filled sky. "I agree. Let's get out of here," she agreed.
Without warning, they heard another growl, and all of them turned to see a shadow lioness stalk out from the tall grasses, more following her.
"Oh no, not good," Sora commented as they all began to back up together, making his Keyblade appear between his jaws.
Yuki's crystal pulsed violently with blazing red alert light. "They're all Heartless, every single one of them," she hissed warily. "They're called Leoness. Be careful. They'll bite and attack like any other lion or lioness."
Riku's Keyblade phased into his own jaw, while Yuki unsheathed her claws, letting out a single roar before leaping at a Leoness, biting down on its throat as she clawed at its shadow pelt before it vanished, a captured heart flying out and being released.
Rafiki let out a war cry before whacking his stick around and attacking several Leonesses.
They all began to attack the Heartless surrounding them, and a bunch leaped and piled onto Yuki, nipping and biting at her fur before she threw them all off with a swipe of her paw.
"There are too many of them!" Sora tried to shout, his words muffled with the Keyblade in his mouth.
"Fall back!" Simba shouted, knocking away several Heartless from Nala.
Kovu swiped away some Heartless from Kiara. "What are these things?!"
"We'll explain when we get back!" Donald called.
Yuki looked back at her friends. "Go! I'll hold them off!"
"I'm staying with you!" Riku hissed, almost clearly audibly.
"GO!" she snapped back, knocking him towards the others as they began to run off back to Pride Rock. "I'll be right after you."
As the rest of the group hurried off, Yuki remained to summon up a powerful wave of destructive light, the white aura flaring around her, the light deflecting the Heartless and causing them to back off. Closing her golden eyes and letting out a powerful roar, the flash of light caused all the Heartless in the area to vanish before she collapsed onto her side, her sides heaving as her eyes fluttered weakly with exhaustion.
Hmm… this may be interesting… she thought as she slowly rose onto her haunches.
- - - - - -
After they had gained a bit of distance from the burning field and the Heartless, Riku halted to turn around, searching for his beloved lioness.
"Guys, go on ahead," he told them. "I'll be coming after you guys soon."
"I'll come with you," Sora offered, looking up at Donald, "you go back with Simba and the others."
Both lions dashed off back in the direction they came from, Sora trying hard to catch up with Riku with his elder form compared to his cub form.
"Yuki!" Riku shouted as he saw the lioness lick her paw before washing her face, rubbing warily against a small cut by her ear as she was lying on her stomach.
"Oh, Riku, Sora," she murmured, sitting back on her haunches. "Did you guys escape fine?"
"We're fine," Sora answered. "How about you? You look weakened and injured."
The lioness sighed. "I'll be better after I get some healing rest," she responded quietly. "Let's hurry back to Pride Rock before someone decides to come back out here and search for us."
"Can you walk back?" Riku asked.
"I'll need some help, yes," she answered honestly, "but otherwise, I think I can manage."
Gently he supported her by pressing his flank against hers, helping her to lean on him. Sora went on her other side, supporting her to keep her from collapsing over. As they went back to the large rock formation, Yuki's eyes averted to the sky, a glint of blue shimmering into her golden eyes.
"Hmm…" she muttered, stopping in her tracks.
Both boys stopped beside her.
"Something wrong?" Riku said.
She didn't answer, continuing to stare up at the sky. Sora leaped onto her back and laid his head down on hers, pawing at both her ears. "Yuki, are you alright?"
"Oh…" she murmured, her eyes glancing up at the cub. "Sorry boys, got a little distracted there. Before either of you ask me what was that about, I think there's something's going on in this world that's really bugging me. I'm not sure what it is," she explained, "but it's really annoying like an itch in my mind. And my crystal's feeling a little strange too. I suspect it's because of the growing problems of Heartless in this world."
"Do you want us to go check things out?" Riku inquired curiously.
She shook her head gently, making sure Sora didn't fall off. "It's okay, I'll go," she responded.
"Riku," Sora began before his best friend could protest, "why don't you go back and gather some information with Donald about what's going on here, as well as this Kovu guy and why is he so different. Yuki and I will go check things out."
His aqua eyes hardened as he glanced at his lioness girlfriend. "Are you sure you can do this?" he asked, worry straining his voice.
"Yeah, I can manage," she replied, giving him a wink. "After all, the Keyblade Master will be with me to get us out in a hitch if something happens." At his unchanging concerned look, she gave his face a reassuring lick. "Don't worry, Riku, we'll take care of each other. Everything will be alright, okay?"
He licked her ear lovingly, pressing his muzzle against hers. "Yuki, please be careful," he whispered quietly. "I love you."
She pulled back, smiling at him before brushing her muzzled against his neck. "I love you too. Careful trip back, and wish us luck!"
"Good luck you two," he wished, teasingly pawing Sora on the head. "Be careful, Sora. Protect Yuki for me, 'kay?"
"Got it!" the cub cheered happily as he raised a paw. "We'll see you soon!"
Giving Riku a brief nod, Yuki dashed off, Sora holding onto her fur as she ran off to the direction near the former fire where rain was beginning to fall. Trouble was nearing…
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